Everyone tells you that working with family in business is a bad idea.
I’ve said it myself. On stages. On podcasts. To clients across a coaching call. And then I go and do the exact opposite, because eight years ago my sister Serena joined my business, and it has been one of the greatest gifts of my professional life.
This week marks her eight year work anniversary, and I’ve been reflecting on what those years have actually taught me. Not the Hallmark version. The real version.
She sees what everyone else misses
A few months ago I had a skin check. The doctor found a suspicious spot and referred me for surgery to have it removed. In my head, I filed it away. No big deal.
The surgery meant I couldn’t move much for five days. My first day back at work, I jumped on a call with Serena. She started with a simple “how are you, Emma?” and I burst into tears.
I couldn’t work out why. I was downplaying the whole thing to myself, but my body was clearly not on board with that story. Serena reminded me that walking and running are the things I do for me. They regulate me. I hadn’t done either in two weeks.
That’s the thing about working with someone who knows you deeply. She wasn’t just my business manager on that call. She was the person who could read my face across a Teams screen and name what I couldn’t. You cannot hire that. It shows up because of years of shared history.
Different brains, one business
I’m the ideas person. She’s the “how is this actually going to work?” person.
When I decide on a Tuesday that we’re launching something on Friday and starting on Monday, she doesn’t roll her eyes (well, not always). She asks the questions that stop me making expensive mistakes. She thinks about the client experience, the operational load, the flow-on effect for the team.
I used to think a good business partnership was two people who agreed on everything. Now I know it’s two people who trust each other enough to disagree well. Serena will tell me when an idea needs more thought. I will tell her when we need to move faster. We meet somewhere in the middle, and the business is better for it.
Trust is the whole game
When we migrated our systems recently, the pressure landed squarely on her shoulders. Late nights. New platforms. Client details to move. The kind of behind-the-scenes work that nobody sees, but that could break a business if it isn’t done properly.
I didn’t have to check in every five minutes. I didn’t have to look over her shoulder. I knew it would be done, and done well.
That level of trust is rare. It’s also what makes a business scalable. If you don’t trust the people around you, you become the bottleneck in your own business. Working with Serena has taught me what it feels like to genuinely let go, and how much lighter the whole thing becomes when you do.
The bit I don’t say often enough
Serena is my safety blanket, my sounding board, and one of the people I trust most in this world. She knows me without me having to explain. She knows when I need a push, a hug, a laugh, or just someone in my corner.
We turn up to Teams calls in matching outfits without planning it. She rolls her eyes at the amount of lollies I eat. We have in-jokes nobody else understands. And underneath all of that, she’s the reason I get to build the business I’ve built.
So the advice about not working with family? I’ll keep giving it, because it’s true for most people. But if you find the right person, someone whose values match yours, whose skills complement yours, and who loves you enough to tell you the truth, hold on tight.
Happy eight years, Serry. I love you more than words can say.